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Topic: Meltdown, starting Latuda (Read 369 times)

So, life is grand. From the outside. Good job, good health, mostly, no worries.

On the 4th I sat with my meditation group, we got together and saw fireworks. On the way home, top of the world. I am on 100 mgs Pristiq, 1.5 mgs klonopin. Woke up the next morning, busy day ahead but all good stuff. Instant dread, fear, depression. Intensified through the day. My 12th anniversary of sobriety, managed to speak OK at meeting. Went to dinner with group. Got home, defcon 4.

Uncontrollable tremor, horrible fear, skin searing hot but body freezing. Terrified. On a scale of 10, a solid 8 or 9. How could things go so bad so fast?

Was on Abilify, gained too much weight, messed up my sleep. Have been off it for a little over two weeks. Like waiting for the shoe to drop. It dropped. Doc and I discussed lamictal, new drug called Latuda, which is for schizophrenia and bipolar depression. Similar to Abilify, but no weight/blood side effects. Took 20 mgs, calmed down almost immediately. Slept OK, enough anyway. Wide open Sunday ahead. Feeling hot again, scared of what's going to happen today.

My meltdowns are cyclical. And they last for days and days. Live alone, no pets. Not many friends, not close ones anyway. Gorgeous day outside. What's to be afraid of? Going to church this morning, after that... eek.

Just needed to share. Maybe should post this in med section too. Think positive, this med WILL work. Worst of meltdown is OVER. Today will be OK. Do laundry, work out, see dumb movie, keep moving forward. Never quit. Even after eighteen years of this, never quit. Stay patient, keep trying, don't give up.

I am really sorry to hear about what you are going though right now, my friend. Our's is not an easy journey, through the struggles of anxiety disorders. And I certainly know how quickly symptoms can turn on you, and return. But when this happens to me, I have to do all that I can to remember all the good days that I have experienced in my life. And to also know that those good days will return, given time.

Your positive energies on the Anxiety Zone site are very apparent, NQ, as your responses are filled with encouragement for others. You are not alone in this, as I understand what you are going through, and I am here for you.

The user name you chose on the site, Never Quit, says it all. There will be difficult times in all of our lives, but we should never quit, because no one knows the good that awaits us from day to day.

I am glad that you wrote this post. Please know that I am here for you my friend. And as always, the very best to you!... Chuck

And you are right: Think positive.... today will be ok.....YOU will be ok.

My day wasn't nearly as bad as yours, but know that today I did hit a small speed bump and am making sure to slow down and drive slowly over it...to the positive. Staying active is helping me today, as well as this website.

Thank you both so much for the kind replies. I went to the gym and had a really intense workout. Feeling better. This is a cycle, the nice thing about cycles is they cycle out. Tomorrow will be better. Thank you again for the support, I feel so much less alone.

Thank you both so much for the kind replies. I went to the gym and had a really intense workout. Feeling better. This is a cycle, the nice thing about cycles is they cycle out. Tomorrow will be better. Thank you again for the support, I feel so much less alone.

I'm so glad you had a good work out ...and are feeling better. You're so right: this is a cycle and the nice thing about cycles is that they do cycle out! Tomorrow will be better, NQ!!!

I have had this happen to many times, things go great and you fly right through them but when you get home its almost like it all catches upwith you at once....

Actually happen to me recently and I'm still in the anxiety bind once again, basically you just got to let it run its coarse and treat the symptoms with your knowledge and what you have learned from the past.

I have had this happen to many times, things go great and you fly right through them but when you get home its almost like it all catches upwith you at once....

Actually happen to me recently and I'm still in the anxiety bind once again, basically you just got to let it run its coarse and treat the symptoms with your knowledge and what you have learned from the past.

Xanax also helps :)

Exactly. Let it run its course. Fighting it only makes IT fight harder against us....and really, we're actually fighting ourselves, to begin with.

Excellent point! This is where meditation helps. I sit down, close my eyes, breathe deeply and allow myself to feel like absolute shite. Seriously, let 'er rip, come and get me dammit, here I am. I visualize that I'm venting out bad garbage from my system, sometimes it works, sometimes not so much.

Updating for all you kind posters, it did cycle out, Monday was better, work went OK. I was just really wary, you know, like, what's next? Doc upped the Latuda to 40 mgs the night before, so of course I was obsessing over side effects. A lot of people have problems with akathisia, the restlessness thing, so, I of course was noticing how restless I was. I had a minor attack during a meeting where I was the center of attention, got through. Mood sucky all day, but finished strong.

Back to the gym. Anxiety is very good for my workouts. Sometimes I overdo it a bit though. So this is night four on the new med, will see what tomorrow brings.